These limited-edition items are available now for pre-order at a special introductory price at www.warsteins.com. An additional 500 Legendary Collection steins per design are available, and are signed and numbered. Every stein will also include an exclusive in-game item for players with a valid subscription which can be redeemed on Warhammer Online. Purchasing the “Destruction” Stein nets you a coveted gift from the great hall of the Warlord Tchar’zanek. Drinking from this stein will grant a +15% bonus to Experience, Renown, and Influence for 120 minutes. The purchase of the “Order” stein will arrive with a code for a gift from Emperor Karl Franz. Drinking from this stein will grant a +15% bonus to Experience, Renown, and Influence for 120 minutes.

Epic Collection steins are currently being offered at a special price, $99.99. The super-special Legendary Collection steins go for almost twice that — $189.99. Additional steins will be crafted in the future.

An easy start is to get them something new to play! Aion ($46.99) is the newest MMO to be released and has been getting some rave reviews. Released by NCSoft in September 2009, there has been a steady buzz around the game, and I’ve known several people who have given up other MMOs to play this one. From all I’ve seen and read it’s a pretty solid game, and will appeal to most fans of the genre. And if they’re already playing Aion, why not snag them one of the cool shirts that Jinx just released?

If your friends or family are already playing another game, you can always buy them game time via cards or offer to pay for in game items to help them boost their characters or explore new regions. Blizzard sells pre-paid cards for game time in World of Warcraft ($29.99) and so does Warhammer Online($29.99), Age of Conan ($25.99), and Lord of the Rings Online ($29.99). These will give them 60 days of free time to play in their game of choice!

Tactx keyboard from Alienware

For the World of Warcraft fan, I found many things that one could buy, but I’ve narrowed it down to just a few products. First off, from the official store I have to recommend either Murky or Lurky ($15 each) plush dolls for either kids or for adults (My Murky sits on the top of my computer). Also along the kids line, if you have a guildmate or friend who just had a new baby or is expecting, I highly recommend the “My Other Stroller is [Epic]“ onesie from Jinx. For the more grown up WoW fan, you can also get a Horde or Alliance appropriate beanie so that they can show their pride throughout the winter! In general the majority of the WoW collection at Jinx is pretty awesome, and it’s all reasonably priced.

Now if you want to get your friends some new gaming peripherals, I recommend checking out the latest Alienware line which I have previously covered. The TactX mouse and keyboard are a little more pricey, but they’d be a great gift idea, especially if they’re in need of an upgrade. Also in November, Creative will be releasing special WoW themed headsets that look great and will help show your Horde or Alliance Pride! Another great item that you could get is the Xeno by Bigfoot networks. Cherithe recommended this in our gadget gift guide, and it’s definitely worth repeating! The Xeno is a great plug-and-play card that will prioritize gamng by bypassing your OS which enables smoother playing and voice chatting.

Now the other gift idea that you can do is for those fellow players who want to get something nice for an in-game friend or guildmate. You can save up to get them a vanity pet,  money for a new mount, or some new armor. It’s thoughtful, and something that will surprise them to see in their mailbox or a trade window! There are also the new in game pets that Blizzard released which you can buy from the online pet store: the Pandaren Monk who does some impressive kung fu and Lil’ KT who is the most adorable little lich!

I hope that this guide can help you out with some ideas for that MMO fan in your life. Have a great holiday and spread some /cheer!

Endless Trial accounts are restricted to Tier 1 of the Empire versus Chaos pairing. This includes Tier 1 scenarios but does not include access to the Capital Cities or the other racial pairings within the game.

Endless Trial accounts may receive mail and purchase from the auction house; however, they cannot send mail or create auctions.

Endless Trial accounts are limited to designated servers. If you’d like to play with friends on other servers, you will need to purchase a retail copy of the game and transfer your character to their server (or create a new character on their server). All characters Rank 11 and under on purchased accounts have access to unlimited transfers, with a max of one transfer per day. Please note that you can only transfer characters to the same server type as the server you created your characters on (Core, Open RvR, and Roleplay). Please see the full server list here for details about each server, including server type. Alternatively, if you have a friend who is currently playing WAR, you can ask them for a Recruit-a-Friend code that will allow you to create a Recruit-a-Friend trial account which has access to all servers. Please see the Recruit-a-Friend section for more information.

Sounds like a good deal, and a great way for you to play for a longer period of time to really see if you want to commit to that monthly fee. More details on the Endless Trial and where to download both PC and Mac versions can be found here on the official site.

Today we received quite a few announcements about MMOs and their Halloween plans. We’re going to start with Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and see what Mythic Entertainment has planned to scare their players.

The live event, Daemon Moon Rising will run from October 23rd through November 2nd and will feature the Daemon Mask event quest, a new Daemonball Rally Public Quest, a special Realm vs Realm scenario and treats.

“This is a terrifying time of year within the world of Warhammer and the Daemon Moon Rising live event is our way of fighting against the darkness that encompasses the land,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer for Mythic Entertainment. “We call on all players to rise up against the malevolent creatures that threaten the land and keep safe the Realms. But beware, for under the cold, dark madness of the Daemon Moon, anything can happen!”

Players can also don masks and participate in “Wake the Dead” a special run of the High Pass Cemetery RvR scenario which all players can do during this event. There are other rewards available for playing during that time as well.

Mythic Entertainment has announced that they will be releasing Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning for Macs on October 28, 2009. WAR will be available by digital download to new subscribers at gametreeonline.com for $19.95 and includes 30 days of game time. Current subscribers can download the Mac client for free.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring Warhammer Online and its enthralling Realm vs. Realm combat to the Mac community,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. “Come October 28th, the sides of Order and Destruction will be bolsters by a fresh recruit of Mac gamers experiencing for the first time exactly what we mean when we say that ‘WAR is everywhere!’”

A new MMORPG to the Mac is always a good thing. There is a beta for Macs going on right now where players can download the beta client on their Mac and play with their accounts. If a player is new to WAR then they can download a 10 day Mac beta trailer.

To download the beta version of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning for the Mac and the 10 day trial visit www.warhammeronline.com/mac

As the armies of Destruction continue their war upon the civilized lands, the Raven Host of Chaos is poised to march upon the Empire of Man in an unstoppable tide. To ensure victory against the Emperor’s Order of the Griffon, an elite party of Chaos warriors is tasked with the quest to find the Spear of Myrmidia and fully unleash the power of the Winds of Chaos. To work such awesome magic, the marauder Kormak must dare venture into the Bastion Stair, portal to the Realm of Khorne, and defy the Blood God’s wrath. However, the warriors of the Raven Host are not the only ones with an interest in harnessing the powers of Chaos; Treacherous Dark Elves and brutish Orcs each look to seize the power for themselves, while a desperate Imperial army races to deny all of their foes the dreaded might of Chaos.

“With the first two Warhammer Online novels, Empire in Chaos and Dark Storm Gathering, we saw the Realm vs. Realm conflict from the besieged viewpoint of Order,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer for Mythic Entertainment. “Forged in Chaos provides readers with their first look into the dark, megalomaniacal minds of the forces of Destruction. Rife with internal conflict, shifting allegiances, and a never-ending lust for murder, we see firsthand how this unholy alliance of Destruction is just as deadly to each other as they are to the armies of Order.”

Forged in Chaos is slated to be released later this fall online and in retail stores. Keep your eyes on Gaming Angels and The Black Library’s website for more info!

Warhammer Online cake

We love game-themed cakes and who better to create one than the team at Ace of Cakes. Tomorrow night on the show, at 10pm, Warhammer Online will be the star of Ace of Cakes after Chef Duff creates a massive cake modeled after the Squig. Duff calls the Squig the best cake he’s made on the show.

USA Today posted their interview with Chef Duff: “The best cake he has made on the show. “It’s coming up. We made a cake of a monster called Squig from a video game called Warhammer for a video-game convention. This thing was about the size of large sheepdog. It was gigantic. It was a humongous cake balanced on two legs.”

The thing is HUGE and is a combination of amazing and totally disgusting. It should be fun watching the Ace of Cakes team work on creating the Squig.

Warhammer Online

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is one year old and EA/Mythic are planning a celebration. The celebration starts on August 31 with The Wild Hunt, event and continues all September to give players special weekend-only scenarios, 20% experience/Renown bonus, in-game items and lots more.

“This anniversary marks a major milestone for WAR, the Mythic development team, and our fantastic community of players,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. “We could think of no better way of marking this occasion than by celebrating our success with our fans for the entire month of September. We’ve got new content to share with the Wild Hunt live event, special versions of popular scenarios, and a 20% experience and renowned bonus, plus, players can get special rare drops, veteran rewards, fireworks, Halfling pies, and exploding stout! Now that is a party Warhammer style!”

After the Wild Hunt live event, the schedule for weekend only events are: special versions of the Mourkain Temple (September 11-14), Gates of Ekrund (September 18-21) and Temple of Isha (September 25-28) scenarios.

During the rest of September, exclusive anniversary items will be delivered to players by in-game mail. To read about all the live event details go here.

If you like to game on your Mac, now there is one more MMO that will work on your machine. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is in beta for Mac users. The official release is fall of 2009.

Players that don’t already have a WAR account can download a 10 day beta trial account. By participating in the beta, players will get an exclusive title and trophy reward for their characters in the game.

“The MMORPG audience continues to expand, and that means gamers eager to experience WAR aren’t all playing on a PC,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. “We want as many players as possible to experience the glory of Realm vs. Realm combat, and bringing WAR to the Mac makes this an exciting reality.”

You can get the trial at www.warhammeronline.com/mac

Hidden Path Entertainment, revealed today that Defense Grid: The Awakening, soon to be released on Xbox LIVE Arcade, will be unveiled July 24 at the Microsoft booth at SDCC.  Defense Grid: The Awakening’s unique spin on tower defense gameplay appeals to gamers of all skill levels.

“San Diego Comic-Con is great place to let players first experience the Xbox LIVE Arcade version of Defense Grid: The Awakening,” said Jeff Pobst, CEO and co-founder of Hidden Path Entertainment. “This latest version of Defense Grid includes many new features such as the Borderland Mission Pack, with four new advanced levels and 12 challenge modes, three brand new challenge types and thirty new challenge modes in the story mode. We have found that everyone – from core gamers to novice players – loves the scalable strategy and gameplay variables that make Defense Grid: The Awakening a game that can be enjoyed repeatedly with new outcomes.”

Defense Grid: The Awakening for Xbox LIVE Arcade is built on Emergent’s Gamebryo engine (Oblivion, Warhammer Online, Civilization IV) and features 12 hours of story play, 24 unique environments across the Awakening campaign and four bonus Borderlands maps, plus over 100 unlockable challenge modes. Critics have repeatedly lauded Defense Grid’s excellent game balance, pace and progression. With each level, players encounter different placement of roads, tower build locations, and open areas to plan a strategy around. Each map, whether open plan or fixed route, encourages a different strategy, such as trying to find an optimal path to redirect enemies, making the best use of limited space, and breaking up individual enemy waves to avoid being overwhelmed, all while planning ahead for future waves.

There are 10 different tower types that can each be upgraded twice. These towers all have unique tradeoffs that affect ideal placement, such as line-of-sight attack or ballistic trajectory fire; a large area of effect or damage over time; and minimum and maximum ranges. Over the course of the game, players battle 15 different types of enemies, each with unique capabilities and strategies.